OUR EXPERIMENT WITH DESTINY – PART 2 – The argument

Often I have been asked why we felt the need to adopt a child when we have been blessed with a wonderful natural daughter, and could have been blessed more. Needless to say, a biological child is unarguably god’s greatest creation after air, plant and water. I don’t undermine that. The postcard picture when one gets to see, feel and touch a part of his/her own flesh and blood in form of a newborn, is unparalleled. As we age and try to keep pace with our dwindling memory, we tend to recreate, repaint and redraw that picture moment… forever.

However, the question remained – God gave humanity so much; what can we give back to humanity? In a world highly driven by consumer power, sizeable chunks of society are able to meet their daily needs and luckier ones even fulfill their dreams. But the question remained – What about those who are not able to meet their daily needs? Will they breathe their last, one day, believing that god cursed them by sending in this unfair world?

These were the thoughts which hit my keyboard during India’s early Google (read: internet) years! Thanks to access to information. Of disturbing reports of poverty, of drought in Africa making people suck a live calf’s blood to drink, of kids dying through malnutrition or diseases and of fast vanishing natural resources vsever ballooning population. And some back of hand calculation said, if every couple in the world adopted a child, the world would be free from natural resources getting strained, from kids living in poverty or dying from diseases.

UNICEF & World bank reports of 2008 roughly estimate 1.3 billion poor global inhabitants. Assuming a sixth, of the poor, are kids and add the estimate of 200 million global orphans, effectively, we are speaking of 0.4 billion orphans or poor kids, awaiting to be hugged. Surely out of 5.7 billion ‘non-poor’ inhabitants (global population is 7 billion), there would be 0.8 billion people who can afford another kid. Less strain on dwindling global resources, 0.4billion happier couples, one sixth of poverty eradicated and a younger, fitter and better world to come in form of blessed, adopted inhabitants.

The truth, though, lives a continent apart. Barely 0.3 million kids are lucky to get a parent, annually, which is not even a whole number percentage of what is desired in an ideal world. A chunk of these so called adoptions actually end up being victims of human trafficking, prostitution or just stay as servants. That means amongst whatever little who gets adopted, some are routinely falling in wrong hands. The situation is so bad that some governments have had to make rules to prevent poor, unattended and possibly dying children from getting adopted by certain nationalities.

First day of school

Which is why states make couples go through a rigorous scanning process (called Home Study report) before they approve to adopt. Which is why, it is important that the good people adopt; Celebrities adopt; Influential people adopt; Mainstream people adopt; the Right people adopt!

I was right and I was main stream. Hence it was important that I do. To set an example for my kids and the world they will grow into. To make people believe it is a normal process with more joys attached and doesn’t involve as much pain or challenges as commoners estimate.

I set this as one of my dreams, around 2002, during my MBA years. And when my marriage was being ‘arranged’, I spoke this ambition to each lady I met, so as to ensure the person was mentally ready and wont be a stumbling block down the years. God was with me, and so he sent Trisha. One lady who was upfront willing, and till date remains the best possible human, I ever met, with whom I could execute this.

Soon enough she made this her dream too. And that started the dream story…

At Barcelona Spain, July 2013, getting wet, celebrating his anniversary!